£150 million fourth round of Safer Streets Fund launches

The government has announced that a fourth round of financial support from the Safer Streets Fund has launched, worth £150 million over three years.

Previously announced in the Levelling Up White Paper, the scheme seeks to offer additional funding for local authorities around the UK that are worst affected by crime and anti-social behaviour. Local authorities, civil society organisations and police and crime commissioners to bid for up to £500,000 per year for projects targeting neighbourhood crime, violence against women and girls and anti-social behaviour.

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel said:

“Our local communities are the beating hearts of the UK and I want our streets to be safe for everyone to go about their daily lives without fear inflicted on them by criminals.

“The Safer Streets Fund improves the safety and security of areas blighted by crime and helps the police and local councils ensure that everyone is safe on our streets, going to the shops, seeing friends. It also prevents potential perpetrators committing such crimes in the first place so our communities are able to flourish.”

Crime, Policing and Probation Minister, Kit Malthouse said:

“As well as being tough on criminals, we need to outsmart them where we can, preventing their crimes. The Safer Streets Fund does exactly that, giving neighbourhoods the money they need to “target harden” their homes and streets, outfoxing villains and making them think twice before offending.

“We want everyone to feel safe in the public space, and as we build safer streets, town by town, I hope that we can restore pride, alongside safety, as something people say about where they live.”

Previous funding rounds of the Safer Streets Fund have provided £70 million to local initiatives to prevent crime in England and Wales, backing schemes such as neighbourhood watch organisations, increased CCTV and bystander training sessions to encourage members of the public to challenge inappropriate behaviour.

Action violent and neighbourhood crime, is one of the government’s 12 ‘missions’ for Levelling Up, which were announced earlier this year.